Responsible for nearly 40% of energy consumption and more than a third of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, the building sector is directly impacted by environmental challenges. To address these issues, it must adapt to increasingly ambitious requirements in terms of energy performance, carbon footprint reduction, and the sustainable use of resources. In the face of this rapid evolution, stakeholders in the sector must navigate a complex regulatory environment and integrate new practices throughout the entire building lifecycle.

WeLOOP provides a clear overview of the main regulatory frameworks, benchmark standards, environmental labels, and tools available to stakeholders in the sector.

A European framework in full transformation

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The European Green Deal)

Launched by the European Commission, it sets the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. As part of this, the “Renovation Wave” strategy aims to double the renovation rate of buildings, with a strong focus on energy performance and reducing impacts across the entire life cycle. Projects must now incorporate a sustainable approach from the design stage onwards

The European green taxonomy

This framework defines which economic activities are considered sustainable and determines access to green financing. For construction projects, this means demonstrating overall environmental performance through comprehensive life cycle assessments (LCAs) and specific sustainability criteria.

The Construction Products Regulation (CPR)

It imposes harmonised requirements for construction products, both in terms of safety and environmental impact. It notably introduces criteria for sustainability, transparency, and circularity to regulate the CE marking and the practices of manufacturers.

The energy performance of buildings directive (EPBD)

It requires Member States to improve the energy efficiency of the building stock. It targets both new and existing buildings, with minimum standards and support for high-performance renovations, particularly through financing plans and energy monitoring tools.

A French regulation under consolidation

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The Climate and Resilience Law (2021)

It regulates emissions from new buildings starting in 2025 and strongly encourages the use of bio-based materials. This law marks a shift towards result-based obligations for environmental performance and structures the upskilling of the sector.

The RE2025 (Environmental Regulation 2025)

A continuation of RE2020, it aims for an even more ambitious reduction in the carbon footprint of buildings across the entire life cycle. Dynamic LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) becomes the standard, with lowered impact thresholds and new requirements for the recyclability and durability of materials.

The EPR Building (Extended Producer Responsibility)

Coming into effect in 2022, this regulation requires producers to anticipate the end of life of their products. It promotes eco-design, reuse, and material recovery by establishing eco-organisms responsible for collection and processing.

The energy-climate law

It defines the main energy policies of France, in alignment with the National Low-Carbon Strategy. It serves as a cross-cutting framework for renovation, urban planning, and energy transition financing policies.

Technical standards: ensuring common foundations

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NF EN 15804

European standard for environmental data of construction products. It defines the Product Category Rules (PCR) that structure EPDs and FDES, ensuring their comparability at the European level.

NF EN 15978

It formalises the LCA method for buildings, covering all stages: raw material extraction, construction, use, and end of life. It is at the heart of environmental performance evaluations for projects in HQE or BBCA certification schemes.

ISO 14040 / 14044

These international standards lay the foundations for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), defining the key stages: scope definition, inventory, impact assessment, and interpretation. They ensure the scientific rigor of studies, regardless of the sector.

ISO 14067

It specifies the quantification of a product's carbon footprint, integrating greenhouse gas emissions across its entire life cycle. It is increasingly used in the context of net-zero strategies or for the evaluation of innovative products.

ISO 20887

It guides the design of buildings for disassembly, adaptability, and future reuse. These criteria are becoming essential in a circular approach, anticipating the second life of components from the project phase.

Operational tools for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

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INIES

The French reference database for FDES and EPD. It is used for regulatory LCAs under RE2020/2025, and is based on a standardized methodology validated by independent experts.

A Swiss database widely used in international LCA software. It provides generic life cycle data for thousands of products, useful for complementing or comparing data from INIES.

These declarations provide quantified data on the environmental impacts of construction products. Based on the EN 15804 standard, they are verified by third parties and form the basis for LCA modelling.

They allow environmental data to be adapted to a specific context (construction site, location, specific use). These digital tools facilitate the creation of project-specific EPDs, while ensuring regulatory compliance.

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The regulatory and normative framework of the construction sector is evolving rapidly to meet environmental requirements. LCA is becoming the benchmark method for assessing and managing the environmental performance of projects. While challenges remain – data quality, calculation complexity, large-scale circularity – the trajectory is set towards buildings designed with a measurable, concrete, and reproducible sustainability approach.